Sandal construction



A ril 12, 1960 F. GEORGE SANDAL CONSTRUCTION Filed NOV. l8, 1957 magi-mat IIII/I/III INVENTOR flank George BY w a ATTORNEY! United States Patent 2,932,097 v SANDAL CONSTRUCTION Frank George, Alameda, Calif.

Application November 18, 1957, Serial No. 697,060

1 Claim. (Cl. 36-115) This invention relates generally to articles of footwear such as sandals and the like.

In general, it is an object of the invention to improve upon the construction of such articles of footwear, particularly with respect to the provision of means permitting a simplified attachment of the insole and footstrap of a sandal to the outsole.

It is another object of the invention to provide such an article of footwear employing a soft fibrous, carpetlike insole.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved sandal construction, employing a minimum of unitary, easily assembled components.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description and from the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of an article of footwear embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded view in perspective of the device of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in section and elevation along the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

In the drawings, the invention has been shown as particularly applied to a flat sandal construction, although it is to be understood that it can be employed with other types of footwear, such as slippers, hightop sandal constructions, etc.

Generally stated, a sandal of the present invention comprises a flat outsole of molded resilient construction, countersunk to receive an insole. The insole is preferably of-a fibrous, carpet-like material adapted to fit within a peripheral rim of the outsole so as to provide a soft upper surface substantially flush with the rim. Completing the sandal is a one-piece thong having a rear loop portion and a pair of laterally extending free end portions all secured between the insole and the outsole so as to be hidden from view. Other advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the sandal construction.

Referring to Figure 1, indicates the complete sandal construction. As shown in Figure 2, this sandal construction comprises but three separate elements; an outsole 12, an insole 14 and a thong or footstrap 16.

The outsole 12 is preferably of a molded resilient construction and is substantially planar in configuration. As shown in Figure 2, the outsole is recessed or countersunk, as at 18, providing an upstanding peripheral rim 20 extending all about the outsole. The countersunk portion of the outsole is further provided with a pair of grooves, a forward groove 22 and a rear groove 24. These grooves assist in attaching the thong to the sandal, as will be presently explained.

The insole 14 is of such a configuration that it will exactly fit into the countersunk portion of the outsole and within the peripheral rim 20, as shown in Figure 1. It is a feature ofvthe illustrated sandal construction that the insole 14 is constructed of a fibrous, carpet-like material so as to provide a foot-contacting upper surface in subice stantially planar alinement with the rim 20. Preferably the insole 14 is actually cut from a layer of carpet of the type that is provided with a tough, resilient backing 26. This backing, which may be of cured latex, serves to prevent any tendency of the carpet material to unravel and also to assist in the attachment of the insole and the thong 16 to the outsole 12. To further assist in the attachment of the thong or footstrap, the insole can be provided with a forward slit 28 and a pair of rear slits 30.

The footstrap or thong 16 can consist of a single piece of material having a pair of free ends 32 and a loop portion 34. Preferably the free ends 32 of the thong are attached to one another adjacent their ends, as at 36, so as to facilitate the laterally-projecting or wing-like arrangement of the ends illustrated in Figure 2. The thong 16 has been shown to be of a one-piece construction. However, it is readily apparent that the thong can be formed in two or more pieces which have been secured together to provide substantially the same type of thong.

To fabricate the sandal construction illustrated, the ends 32 of the thong 16 are first threaded through the slits 30 until the loop portion 34 of the thong is positioned adjacent the backing 26. The free ends are then attached together and inserted through the slit 28 until they also are adjacent the backing 26. The ends 32 can now be spread into the laterally-projecting configuration of Figure 2. It will be understood that the slits 28 and 30 of the insole are so positioned with respect to the outsole that the loop portion 34 of the thong will lie in the groove 24 and the free ends 32 in the groove 22,

when the insole and the outsole are fitted together.

By a suitable application of an adhesive composition to the surfaces 26 of the insole and 18 of the outsole, the outsole 12, thong 16 and insole 14 can be firmly adhered into a unitary article of footwear. Desirably a quantity of adhesive is also applied to the ends 32 and loop 34 of the thong, and to the thong receiving recesses 22 and 24. When both the outsole 12 and backing 26 are of a rubber-like composition (natural or synthetic), the adhesive may advantageously comprise a polymerizable substance of similar composition, such as a volatile solution of uncoagulated latex. Of course the use of other materials in fabricating the outsole or backing, for example, various resinous compositions or elastomers, will suggest additional adhesive compositions to those skilled in this art, and it is not intended that the invention be limited to any particular materials or compositions. Of importance is the fact that the outsole 12 and backing 26 of the insole unite to form a tough, durable unit between which the anchor portions 32 and 34 of the footstrap are firmly held.

From the above description, it will be apparent that the sandal construction of the invention can be fabricated from a minimum of components, simply, and at very low cost. Moreover, fabrication of the insole from a carpet-like material not only provides a luxuriant footengaging surface but also a means to firmly adhere the components of the sandal into a sturdy, flexible article of footwear.

I claim:

A sandal comprising: an integral substantially planar outsole of molded resilient material, said outsole being provided with an upstanding peripheral rim so as to provide a countersunk upper surface, said countersunk surface being provided with forward and rear transverse grooves adjacent ball and heel supporting portions of the outsole and extending below said surface; a relatively soft thick insole cut from a layer of carpet and fitted within the upstanding rim of said outsole, said out layer of carpet having a pile providing a soft foot-contacting surface substantially flush with said rim, said insole being provided with a tough resilient cohesive backing in contact with said countersunk surface, said insole being provided with a forward longitudinally extending slit in communication with the forward groove in said outsole and a pair of rear longitudinally extending-slits in communication with the rear groove in said outsole; a onepiece sandal thong having a rear loop portion vreceived in the rear groove of said outsole so as to extend upwardly through said rear slits in-the insole, and free end portions extending forwardly to said forward slit in the insole and downwardly therethrough so as to be received in said forward groove of the outsole; means securing the free end portions of the sandal thong to one another in thevicinity of said forward slit in the insole; and adhesive means securing both said insole and the loop and free end portions of said sandal thong within the countersunk surface and grooves of said outsole.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Bowker Sept. 1, 1863 Bassett Aug. 11, 1903 Long Apr. 7, 1914 Davenport Aug. 16, 1921 Goldstone Sept. 15, 1931 vWestheirner July 25, 1939 Ghez et a1 Feb. 27, 1945 Daugherty May 6, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Italy Nov. 14, 1935 Great Britain Apr. 21, 1944 

